Ms. Ruin's Playthings

"The imagination imitates. It is the critical spirit that creates." -Oscar Wilde

Monday, December 31, 2012

Happy New Year!

It's been another wonderful year at Ms. Ruin's Playthings! Unfortunately, I don't have any fun or awesome projects to show but I do want to take a moment to reflect on a few things about 2012. I promise to keep it short!

"A girl knows her limits but a wise girl knows she has none." -Marilyn MonroeExcept maybe for scrapbooking. I have said it over and over and over again...I am not a good scrapbooker. I am standing my ground on this one. Please don't ever make me scrapbook again. Well, okay, that's a little drastic. I MIGHT put together another scrapbook page or two in my lifetime but I don't plan on doing it anytime soon. I think I need to stick to mini books and mixed media. Let's all quit beating around the bush and be brutally honest, I suck at scrapbooking.

“Sometimes you wake up. Sometimes the fall kills you. And sometimes, when you fall, you fly.” -Neil GaimanThat which doesn't kill me continues to make me even stronger. Seriously, I think I'm the strongest person alive at this point. ;) Kidding, kidding! But it does amaze me how the human spirit still thrives in the face of adversity, in the face of defeat, in the face of criticism, in the face of rejection, etc. I can't say that I've been eye to eye with all of those this year, but I've had some pretty significant feats that I managed to break through in 2012. Surprisingly enough, they were mostly personal feats. Things that I had to let go and get over and move on from. We all have those...personal struggles if you will. I tend to reach plateaus where I think I know myself and what I'm about and what will break me, what will make me content, what will propel me. And then something happens --sometimes major, sometimes minor, but I learn more about myself. I had a couple of those moments this year and one of them was allowing myself to show my vulnerabilities through my art work. I sometimes have to ask myself, "Am I honest in my work?" Yes. I may not spell out every tear I cry (whether sorrowful or joyous) with the alphabet, but it doesn't mean that I didn't pour genuine emotion into my work. Some will be able to decipher and read what I'm about without words, some will not. And that's okay too. I strive to tell my story --the good, the bad, and the not so pretty, without fear that I'm not going to fit in or live up to anyone's expectations. Honestly, I don't give a crap about being proper and making it on design teams. I will not fake it to make it. I am thankful for the small design team I am on, because they know what I'm about and they embrace it. I.will.not.fear.myself. As I said earlier in the year, "Fear is not a crutch. Fear is menacing. It eats your insides and poisons the vessel that drives courage." I don't think anyone was listening when I said that, but I did indeed say it on November 6, 2012.

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” -Jane Goodall To my readers: Thank you. You have embraced every side of me, not just the pretty sides. Some of you truly get me and some of you still don't know what to make of me but you still support me by coming back here and reading. I love having a network of creative folks and I love browsing other blogs and finding little treasures. I have made some amazing connections and friendships with other artists this year. Thank you for allowing me to inspire and for inspiring me in return. Some people have chosen not to be a part of my journey, their loss. For those of you that choose to be a part of "this", I thank you deeply for believing in the things that I do.

“Do one thing every day that scares you.” -Eleanor Roosevelt So what's next for Ms. Ruin and Ms. Ruin's Playthings? Well, I'm still running Artsy Fartsy so the monthly swaps will continue starting in early January. I hope to also expand my etsy shop by offering some original and not so original pieces of jewelry. My photography is a whole other monster...I will delve into that at a later time. As far as my mixed media, I want to be even more fearless than ever before! I believe it to be possible. I will leave you with this song by Kelly Clarkson. It is currently my anthem...love me, every side of me, including my dark side or get the heck out of the way! You are standing in the way of someone who can appreciate this. Here's to 2013 and all of blog entries that are yet to be written! Happy New Year!

“Like a diamond from black dust, it’s hard to know what can become if you give up.”

1 comment:

I'm a lurker but happy new year from Santa Clara, CA! i love that you speak your mind and you inspire us even people you don't know. Plus you are super gorgeous. can you do some tips on hair and makeup because I love your look.. Hope your new year is amazing and I can't wait to see what you have in store! xo Kimberlee

Ms. Ruin

I’m Sonia, aka Ms. Ruin. I am the Owner, Manager, and Janitor of Ms. Ruin’s Playthings and Through These Eyes Visual Art. I am a native Texan from the Rio Grande Valley but currently call Dallas home. I am funny, hot-tempered, quirky, opinionated, creative, loving and much more. Discover the many sides of me through my images and words.

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"I find beauty where most just see atrophy." -Sonia Hernandez Doneghue